Maybe you didn’t know, and maybe you did – this handset can’t be used on any other carrier apart from the one it is locked to.

So if you purchased a Verizon branded iPhone from eBay, it is only going to work on the Verizon carrier, and won’t be compatible when any other network. For instance, if you insert a T-Mobile SIM inside this handset, it is not going to work and will only function when a Verizon SIM is inside the set.

However, there are ways to get a locked iPhone bought from eBay unlocked. The best and the best recommended solution for the purpose is the IMEI unlock service that has the following prerequisite:

The iPhone should be activated on a particular carrier and should have a clean IMEI. This is the main requirement of most service providers. However, there are a few websites that will also offer to unlock blacklisted and blocked iPhones. You’re likely to pay a higher price for blacklisted and blocked iPhones, because these two can be difficult to unlock.

If this prerequisite is fulfilled, your eBay iPhone that is locked to a particular carrier can be submitted for unlocking. You are only required to submit the 15-digit IMEI code of your device to the service provider and leave the rest to them. It may take a day or a few days to process the unlock, after which you are going to receive unlocking instructions about how to perform the iTunes restore process.

It’s actually pretty easy to get a locked iPhone from eBay unlocked since a lot of advanced services have popped up during the last few years. You can even continue updating basebands and firmwares after the unlock as your iPhone’s IMEI is marked as whitelisted in Apple’s official database, so it is considered to be officially unlocked from the backend.

The customer is able to use the unlocked iPhone on any carrier in the world and the warranty of the device remains intact. In fact, a locked eBay smartphone increases in value after it is made SIM-free and there are no carrier restrictions associated with it. Hardware and software unlocks are not recommended as they work for a temporary period of time: the IMEI solution is the best.